


tell me a story, pa.

by rotwound



Category: Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)
Genre: arthur is the dad he wants to be for isaac, except they're almost dead and it's a zombie apocalypse, undead nightmare au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2020-11-15
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:02:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27567199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rotwound/pseuds/rotwound
Summary: set amidst an undead nightmare au before the events of red dead redemption 2's story, arthur is caught in the middle of it all taking care of his son, isaac.
Kudos: 12





	tell me a story, pa.

death was no stranger to arthur morgan, and arthur morgan no stranger to it. the shadow of eternity followed him like a dog; and he knew one day, whether he prepared for it or not, it was going to catch up to him. it'd caught up to everyone else- or, mostly everyone else. they all said it started in a town called pleasance. and what those folk had done — it was anything but. folk were turned rabid, seemingly overnight. distinguishable by their grey skin and god, that awful noise they made — as if the person that once lived in that body was screaming and scratching to get out. because whatever had taken over.. it wasn't pretty. it was bloodthirsty, starved. and it only stopped when the head was cut off or destroyed.   
⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀  
those creatures, they didn't care what kind of death they caused, just that there was death at all. killed black men and white women, killed little children, even killed their livestock. farms went out of business first, after all their animals had been killed. then the towns, when they had nothing to feed the people. militias rose up and crime was at an all time high. and arthur? when this all started, he'd been staying with isaac and eliza. never meant it to be permanent, he was still riding with dutch at that time. but things went downhill fast. those creatures — whoever they didn't attack, they drove mad instead. eliza was one of them. she walked out on arthur and isaac not far into the first year and arthur hadn't seen her since. he tried, convincing her to stay. but she was a young girl and her dreams were not of a world tortured by god almighty and his wrath in the form of the undead. arthur could not blame her for that. he tried to go back for the gang with isaac and eliza in tow when the whole thing first started, but they had already fled.

dawn. sometime in between autumn and winter where the ground had frozen but not yet been blanketed by snow, arthur awoke to a dying campfire and his boy still asleep next to him underneath fur blankets. he didn't count the years, anymore. isaac must have been pushing twelve by now and arthur could feel his own age seep into his bones and slow him down, but time had become the least of his worries. keeping his boy alive, that was all that mattered now. ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀  
⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀  
" wake up, boy. time to move. " no comfort in a world like this anymore. he often wondered: was it cruel to raise isaac in this world? was he wrong to not let death gently take him in the night, when it could have so many times before? he didn't want isaac's death to be painful. one shot to the head would end it all in an instant and he wouldn't feel a thing. arthur had tried one time before, loaded his pistol and pressed it right to his boy's forehead when he was fast asleep. but he couldn't. and perhaps he was wrong for that; for wanting to keep his boy alive. ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀  
⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀  
" i'm tired, pa. " weak; isaac was skin and bone but arthur fared no better in a world that had been raped of any sustenance. they'd been living on a few squirrels here or there, if that was considered living at all. and when arthur pressed the back of his hand to isaac's cheek, he was warm. too warm. been running a fever for the past few days and it only seemed to be getting worse, but arthur made him push on. they had to. staying in one place for too long was to ask for death with open arms and a smile to which you'd greet an old friend. ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀  
⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀  
arthur sighs. " i know. i am too. " his voice is laden with grief but even so, he stands and pulls the blanket off of isaac's form. the boy only curls up into himself and shivers. " boy, we gotta go. " arthur reminds him; he's already heading for the scrawny horse he had hitched to a tree, placing what little belongings they had on its rear, and finishes within the minute. still, isaac laid by the dying fire, which was unusual of him. ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀  
⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀  
as if the boy felt arthur's eyes on him, he spoke. " you don't carry me no more. " ⠀⠀

" well, that's 'cause you're old enough to carry your own. i ain't gonna be here forever, you know. " arthur walks back over to the pathetic slumped figure that is his son, and places his hand upon his shoulder. ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀  
⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀  
" i don't wanna be here when you ain't, pa. " the boy murmurs; and arthur knows without looking that there are tears welling up in isaac's eyes. the quiver in his voice gave it all away. ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀  
⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀  
" i know. " there isn't much for arthur to console him with, so instead he ducks his head and waits for the boy to climb onto his shoulders. " come on. " he invites, simply. and for the first time in a while, arthur sees the boy smile. he scrambles to sit on arthur's shoulders and morgan lifts him with all the strength an empty stomach would allow, and they set off into the day with the horse trailing behind them. they were heading as far north as land would allow; arthur figured where men fared horribly, the undead fared worse. but that was a long, long ways to go from out west. ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀  
⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀  
time had become irrelevant. day and night: no one cared for the hour. arthur tries to let his boy rest a little every night, but sometimes they had to keep on pushing and arthur hated to see isaac's worn down face hoping only for rest when he could not provide it. sometimes he would not even look at him; not because he didn't care; but because he couldn't let himself give in when they needed to push forward. ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀  
⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀  
days pass. weeks. getting through cities was the worst, but it damn sure always provided with canned goods left behind when time stopped all those years ago. sometimes, passing through the city needed to be done. and as arthur dismounts from the horse and helps isaac do the same, he kneels down and takes the boy by his shoulders. " you remember what to do? tell it to me. " ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀  
⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀  
" don't say nothin' at all, don't touch nothin' at all, only walk in your footsteps, and never let go of your hand. " the boy rehearses, and arthur nods. ⠀⠀

" good. let's go. " arthur stands then, taking isaac's hand but letting the boy walk just behind him as they made their way slowly into the city. they hit the general store first. a few canned goods had been left behind, and arthur let isaac eat before they continued. a nice heavy coat was found next, too big for isaac but he still needed one so it would do.⠀⠀ ⠀⠀  
⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀  
the rich folk's houses were next. oftentimes they had more canned goods than the old run down stores did, as long as arthur could find the pantry in those big old houses. and sure enough, arthur found it. might as well have been the holy grail, as much dry and canned goods as there were. he begins stuffing his coat; tells isaac to do the same; and they both fill their bellies there when they can't carry any more, sitting together on the floor of the pantry.⠀⠀ ⠀⠀  
⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀  
there's a moment where they both catch each other's eyes and smile. it was him and isaac against the world most days, and arthur couldn't be more grateful than to spend his days with isaac. his son was turning into a fine young man, and arthur couldn't be more proud — if only eliza could see how far he'd come. how far they'd both come. ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀  
⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀  
" 'can talk in here, you know. " arthur assures the boy, though his voice is still hushed within the silence. isaac nods. ponders for a few moments what he wants to say, because conversation wasn't always an option. ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀  
⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀  
" can you tell me about the deer, again? the one you really liked? " isaac asks between a mouthful of canned peaches, swallowing with a hopeful glint in his eyes that makes arthur chuckle warmly. ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀  
⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀  
" now, i've told you that story about a hundred times. why don't you tell it to me? " arthur asks with a tilt of his head, and isaac purses his lips for a quiet moment before smiling again. ⠀⠀

" well, okay. story goes that you were huntin' deer, and you got lost, right? " arthur nods, silently encouraging. " and you were starving and exhausted, and you were about to give up when this HUGE big buck walked out right in front of you. and the sun hit it just right that he looked golden, and he looked right at you and you looked right at him and then he just kept walkin'. and you didn't even kill him! " the boy finishes with quiet laughter, shaking his head at his father. ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀  
⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀  
" you remember why i didn't kill him? " arthur asks, and isaac falls silent for a moment or so. thinking.⠀⠀ ⠀⠀  
⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀  
" somethin' about.. not wantin' to take a life that beautiful. that you shouldn't kill everything you see, 'cause sometimes you just gotta look with your heart. i remember you said life's more beautiful that way. " ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀  
⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀  
" that's exactly right. you always gotta remember that, boy. remember to look with your heart. "


End file.
